


Bumps in the Road

by TheDreamTailor



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anxiety, M/M, Overcoming fears, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 21:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11883396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDreamTailor/pseuds/TheDreamTailor
Summary: Cor easily slid into the passenger seat and threw his katana in the backseat before he leaned back into the dark leather. A part of Ignis’ brain was immediately envious of how at ease the other seemed. But Cor had been driving the Regalia for years, where as this was Ignis’ first time. And piloting a car that was worth more than every possession he owned…It was perfectly natural that he had some hesitations, Ignis thought to himself.Ignis didn't start out being a perfect driver.





	Bumps in the Road

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by my own transition between becoming a nervous wreck behind the wheel to driving the busiest highway in North America without breaking a sweat. We all start small and gradually overcome our fears with the help of friends and experience. And I thought that it would be interesting to have Ignis, the man who seems to know how to do everything without batting an eye, facing the same sort of challenge. And maybe it might help some people with driving anxiety too.

Ignis stared at his own reflection in the glossy black fender of the Regalia, the paint as spotless as he liked to keep his own glasses, mirroring the blue sky and the thick clouds in high definition. Already his mind was calculating the long hours it would’ve taken to get it polished to such a splendid shine, and that made him brim with questions: What kind of wax had they used? How often was it applied? Was an automatic buff used or was it painstakingly polished by hand?

“Ignis,” a voice broke him from his thoughts. Ignis turned his eyes toward Cor, who rested a hip on the hood. It almost made his blood boil thinking of the smudge that would leave but he kept his composure, as he was expected to. Cor’s arms crossed and his stern face showed a trace of amusement as he watched the younger. “Don’t look so nervous,” the immortal teased and Ignis turned his nose to the air.

“There’s nothing for me to be nervous about. This is expected of me,” he recited, having told himself the previous night repeatedly. He was to be the advisor of the crown prince, a prestigious position bestowed on him by none other than the king himself. He had trained since he was six, learning the art of politics, history, and critical thinking. He had cultured himself in menial tasks like cooking and cleaning (which he doubted the prince would ever learn himself). And driving? Well, it was all part of the package. 

Ignis already felt the insides of his driving gloves getting damp with sweat.

“Alright then, hop in,” Cor invited him, standing up straight again and going to the passenger door. Ignis noticed, with disdain, that there was indeed a smudge. 

Cor easily slid into the passenger seat and threw his katana in the backseat before he leaned back into the dark leather. A part of Ignis’ brain was immediately envious of how at ease the other seemed. But Cor had been driving the Regalia for years, where as this was Ignis’ first time. And piloting a car that was worth more than every possession he owned…

It was perfectly natural that he had some hesitations, Ignis thought to himself.

He walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, feeling the seat depress comfortably as he sat in it. He noticed how suddenly focused he was on his own breathing as he buckled in and laid his hands on the wheel, a piece of art itself. The Regalia was spacious and sleek, the inset dashboard spaced with delicate looking dials and buttons. Ignis had studied the make and model of the car with fascination over the past few weeks, how the finest Lucian craftsmen had designed the car specifically for King Regis in honour of his coronation years ago. It was a classic by all standards, but it was as powerful and streamlined as any modern car available on the market today.

Did he just feel his leg twitch?

Ignis breathed in deep as he reached for the ignition and twisted the key. The engine purred, the pistons smoothly turning the hemi engine, the icons on the dashboard lighting up. Ignis felt as if he was in the cockpit of an airplane. And for just a moment doubt wiggled its way into his brain.

Cor gave him a small smirk. “Nice, isn’t it? Let’s just take her around the courtyard to start, then we’ll see how you do on the freeway.”

Ignis’ mouth tightened, his nod a bit stiff and his hands clutched the wheel a bit too hard, but Cor didn’t seem to notice. The sweat began under his arms too as he carefully shifted the transmission into drive, feeling the car become looser in response. And that was when the fear really started to sink in. There he was, a mere seventeen years old and about to drive for the first time. 

In a car that cost half the empire. 

Astrals, have mercy. 

But he wasn’t allowed to show fear or doubt. He was the next royal advisor, he needed to be sure in everything he did.

Ignis took his foot off the brake slowly, the Regalia inching forward like a horse itching for the stable gates to open so it could race down the track. He would take it slow, get a feel for how the Regalia worked, just apply a bit of pressure to the gas…

The car lurched forward, taking Ignis by surprise as he fumbled for the brake and slammed it down to reach a hard stop. In his peripherals he could see Cor bracing himself on the dashboard, the katana clattered to the floor in the back seat. Ignis looked up with wide eyes, his knuckles white as he clutched the wheel harder. 

“Damn, kid, take it easy, she’s got a lot more power than you think,” Cor scolded him, settling back into the seat and looking just a tad grumpier. “Just use a little bit of pressure---”

Ignis tried again with the same result, the Regalia lurched again as the speedometer jumped to 50 kilometers, though this time he wasn’t as hasty to press down on the brake. Cor’s posture got much stiffer as he held one hand against the car door and one hand on the centre console. Ignis thought he almost looked scared, his hooded eyes wider than he had ever seen them before, but not as scared as he was. “Alright, straighten out—no, left-- slow it down you’re coming up to a bend—"

It was like everything Ignis had studied earlier became moot. His heart raced in his chest as the Regalia acted like a stubborn mule beneath him, stopping too hard, turning too sharp, accelerating when he wanted it to slow. And Cor’s constant stream of instructions made him lose focus even more, getting mixed up and turning the wrong way and narrowly missing one of the palace gardeners. 

And as they rounded the bend in the courtyard who other that King Regis himself was in the drive, exiting one of the escort vehicles he had taken instead of the Regalia that morning. And Ignis was coming in hot. 

“Brake! Brake!” Cor shouted, pressing himself harder into the back of the seat as if he were bracing himself for impact. Ignis jammed his foot down on the wrong pedal, picking up another 10 kilometers of speed before hitting the brake. The tires whined and it felt as if gravity suddenly reversed, the bumper of the Regalia stopping inches away from that of the escort car.

King Regis looked up from the car, his bearded face a mix of mild surprise before transforming into an epiphany. “Ah, Ignis,” he says as he limped toward the driver’s side of the car, a folder of papers held in his hand. “I almost forgot. Could you bring this report to Prince Noctis when you have a moment? Thank you.”

And he walked away calmly, ascending the steps of the citadel as if he wasn’t almost turned into road pizza by an amateur driving his own car.

Ignis’ felt like he couldn’t catch his breath fast enough. He could see in the mirrors how pale his face looked, and he found himself unable to meet Cor’s eyes, though he felt them glaring at him from the passenger seat. Cor the Immortal had perhaps had his first taste of mortality that day.

The other reached over and shut off the engine. “I think that’s enough for today. You have an errand to run,” Cor reminded him, his voice none too impressed. And the colour returned to Ignis’ face in the form of shame. 

“Sir,” he dismissed himself, his knees shaking as he exited the car. The ground didn’t feel solid to him anymore as he walked away, trying to keep his head high even after such a disastrous start. 

But even walking down the familiar halls of the citadel, Ignis felt the self consciousness working its way into him. Everyone he passed seemed to look at him as if they had witnessed the frankly comic spectacle of his first drive. He could see the judging looks in their eyes, or take his mind off the thought that they were probably tittering behind his back. 

Ignis, who could do anything the King needed him to do, couldn’t drive a car.

And as soon as he was back inside his room he leaned his forehead against the door and uttered the only thing he could.

“Fuck.”


End file.
